tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.comments2023-05-25T04:54:21.310-07:00An Anthropology of the FamiliarStacey McKennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12423240974360887141noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-36958965447536504832013-04-16T05:33:18.387-07:002013-04-16T05:33:18.387-07:00Thanks for your thoughtful response, Karen. I thin...Thanks for your thoughtful response, Karen. I think you're right in so many ways - things are scariest when we can relate to them (this is why fear based ads use models who represent their target populations) and risk is most tangible when we can leave it to our imaginations. It feels an awful lot easier to avoid a dangerous part of a city than an event selected as a target with no forewarning. I'm just worried we've become so embroiled in a system of us versus them that we've lost the ability or desire or willingness to identify with "the other" and the forms of suffering they face daily.<br /><br />Oh, and don't even get me started on the media. They play such a big role in all of this, deciding what story and whose story is important and deciding how to tell it regardless of whether or not they show any respect for the victims.Stacey McKennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12423240974360887141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-88106155188540547832013-04-15T22:00:23.250-07:002013-04-15T22:00:23.250-07:00Hi Stacey,
I'm in Boston. No one I know was ...Hi Stacey,<br /><br />I'm in Boston. No one I know was hurt, but you know, people are shaken.... at first when I saw that your post was really about something else, I like, "oh, we're going to talk about problems that we all know about again."<br /><br />But then I realized I agree with you.<br /><br />Chronic poverty, homelessness, underfunding of important social institutions, declining real incomes of average American households... boring, maybe, but pretty important. <br /><br />And the flip side: we stay upset about the high-profile events, much more than upsetting events that are chronic or foreign. That's why terrorism works: high-profile events affect people's behavior out-of-proportion to the amount of pain they cause. (the pain is very real, but as you say, it's not more real than other pain.) <br /><br />It's hard, with an event that targets people who are just like people you know, in places that are familiar to you, accompanied by details that make it easy to imagine yourself there.... [ as an aside: for the love of god, the constant news cycle doesn't help. Just now they were reporting on amputees in gruesome detail. I really doubt that anyone in the hospital wants their pain on national TV.]<br /><br />I kind of think our basic (instinctive) understanding of risk is screwed up. It's like the mind thinks something is risky if it can imagine the thing going wrong. That probably works with the information-propagation systems that we had a thousand years ago: I could imagine something bad happening if I'd seen something similar, or if it was so bad that I'd heard rumors of it in another village or happening long ago. But otherwise, it wasn't risky, and as long as it wasn't prohibited by my religion I could go on. It's just that now that we can "see" things from all over the world, and there are group disasters that actually affect relatively few people out of the total population, it just doesn't work.<br /><br />sorry my comment is so long. thanks for posting this thoughtful piece!karenerobinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03925379039641866587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-89275980693914712172013-01-13T20:15:08.801-08:002013-01-13T20:15:08.801-08:00Hillary!!!! - Ok, 1, I was actually thinking about...Hillary!!!! - Ok, 1, I was actually thinking about that song as I was wrapping up the entry and 2, it was oh so nice to chat and see your lovely face tonight! Also, your hair is SO LONG!!!Stacey McKennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12423240974360887141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-20580930125927141062013-01-13T14:55:34.768-08:002013-01-13T14:55:34.768-08:00I always love your reflections Stacey. As a fello...I always love your reflections Stacey. As a fellow scholar looking at the contested selves of my participants, I think that the self is a many layered thing. Internal desires, external behaviors, internalized expectations, and externalized performances...they are all a part of the self that is sometimes segmented into past and present parts as well. I'm also beginning to think that only the external self is malleable, but that could be part of my own stuff I'm working through right now both personally and professionally. <br /><br />This post also made me think of Ani DiFranco's bit in Fuel: <br />"And they say that alcoholics are always alcoholics<br />Even when they're as dry as my lips for years <br />Even when they're stranded on a small desert island<br />With no place within 2,000 miles to buy beer<br />And I wonder<br />Is he different?<br />Is he different?<br />Has he changed? what's he about?<br />Or is he just a liar with nothing to lie about?"<br />Mama Melchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09756297260590217633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-52969452345432193712013-01-13T12:39:50.349-08:002013-01-13T12:39:50.349-08:00Thanks Julie! Mike and I were just talking about y...Thanks Julie! Mike and I were just talking about you last night. We need to come visit and he wants you to teach him to surf. :)Stacey McKennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12423240974360887141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-33749634653216660192013-01-13T10:46:22.201-08:002013-01-13T10:46:22.201-08:00Stacey,
As usual, I am a huge fan of you and you...Stacey, <br /><br />As usual, I am a huge fan of you and your thoughts. I am honored that you would share the past and present with all of us readers. <br /><br />It takes a strong, incredible woman to embrace and flow with change, as you have done. Your ability to observe yourself as a person and objectively I think will be your greatest ally in this life. <br /><br />Regarding your take on the individual--I totally agree. How I see it is when we fine tune and discover the truth of defining the "I am" of our life, we are able to contribute to our world as a brighter light and a heavier lifter. <br /><br />Bottom line: This girl adores you and thinks that you are such a very bright light on this planet :) xoxo Julie of the Storkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10386104902795550444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-60776654102646172622012-12-04T15:41:21.554-08:002012-12-04T15:41:21.554-08:00Art! I hadn't even thought of art! Does art ba...Art! I hadn't even thought of art! Does art bargaining involve brokers? With cars, not so much, we do that face-to-face with the dealer, but still, you're right, big emotional purchases = bargaining?! Maybe it all comes down to wealth and colonialism (I've definitely had people say the only reason they bargain with white people in Morocco is because it's "what the tourists expect").Stacey McKennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12423240974360887141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-26406565130066635902012-12-04T13:20:58.203-08:002012-12-04T13:20:58.203-08:00I have been thinking about this lately, as we are ...I have been thinking about this lately, as we are considering buying a new car. I find it so bizarre that in the States (as in much of the Euro-Western world?), we only bargain on items of considerable price, and, as you say, emotional attachment - houses, cars, art. No one would ever think to try to bargain on say, a sweater.molly m.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05463906570881559702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-51723078575700067542012-11-10T18:57:44.397-08:002012-11-10T18:57:44.397-08:00Thanks Hillary - and yes, these new drug testing f...Thanks Hillary - and yes, these new drug testing for welfare laws that keep popping up fascinate and disturb me. Stacey McKennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12423240974360887141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-42071675413104233982012-11-10T18:56:56.889-08:002012-11-10T18:56:56.889-08:00Thanks so much - And what a great connection. Defi...Thanks so much - And what a great connection. Definitely an area to look into as well; as you point out, the punishment of poverty (or even lesser extremes of lack of financial means) is not new.Stacey McKennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12423240974360887141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-27685254367183891752012-11-08T06:54:20.632-08:002012-11-08T06:54:20.632-08:00Very interesting and sad Stacey. I can't help...Very interesting and sad Stacey. I can't help but think that once you are embedded in a risk network of reciprocity, it will take more than a roof over your head to pull you out of the cycle. At that point, don't those individuals still feel obligated to reciprocate for the kindness that was shown to them previously? I'm also fascinated by our culture's poverty punishment and the view of drug users as sub-humans undeserving of help (I.e. drug testing for welfare). A very richly layered new area of research for sure. Mama Melchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09756297260590217633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-9256147838047767022012-11-08T06:47:01.872-08:002012-11-08T06:47:01.872-08:00Love the blog, Stacey. I really haven't studi...Love the blog, Stacey. I really haven't studied homelessness much, but reading your thoughts made me think of debtor's prisons in the past- the idea of punishing someone for lack of financial means through tickets and other sanctions, which in the end actually places them in a more precarious position. Interesting entry!MLE42https://www.blogger.com/profile/04529972237674508052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-61574554977690904442012-11-07T21:21:34.806-08:002012-11-07T21:21:34.806-08:00Thanks Rachel! I am really wanting to shift my res...Thanks Rachel! I am really wanting to shift my research toward homelessness more broadly (rather than focusing so much on drug use) so I can't wait to delve deeper into this literature. Stacey McKennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12423240974360887141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-42928057646287175572012-11-07T21:06:56.144-08:002012-11-07T21:06:56.144-08:00Seattle has the first "Housing First" pr...Seattle has the first "Housing First" project in the nation to be studied. It shows that housing leads to a reduction in drinking and an increase in health and stability.Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08542473336109342276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-33696969292159373382012-10-24T07:19:31.445-07:002012-10-24T07:19:31.445-07:00First time reading your blog. Enjoyed it very muc...First time reading your blog. Enjoyed it very much. <br />Change is inevitable. <br />Surrender is optional <br />Detachment is key <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09805712128709349117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-74937975116715183142012-07-12T11:22:14.728-07:002012-07-12T11:22:14.728-07:00Amen, Sister. Since I've put on weight I'v...Amen, Sister. Since I've put on weight I've noticed that I get stared at far less than I ever did when I was slim. It's made me nervous to actually start losing weight because for the first time in my life I don't feel that predatory gaze since my figure no longer resembles that lithe and trim body that is the sexualized rage in the west. If I were to go to Asia or Africa it would be a whole different story, though. Great post, Stacey! I love your blog!Sezinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01079428712043735436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-90407551338537277582012-06-10T11:47:46.619-07:002012-06-10T11:47:46.619-07:00Thanks Sezin! I definitely think the disparities i...Thanks Sezin! I definitely think the disparities in assumptions made about different drugs are linked to who uses them (and meth has a reputation as a "poor white trash" drug despite its much more nuanced history and even current patterns of use). But, the allure of heroin may well, as you suggest, be linked to its connection with "beautiful people" and perhaps even its assumed links to the arts (though amphetamine certainly has its own history there, it's not as well known). <br /><br />Much to think about - and I definitely need to watch more of The Killing to see this character - super curious and excited to see a more complex portrayal!Stacey McKennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12423240974360887141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-22747052416949043432012-06-10T11:44:00.742-07:002012-06-10T11:44:00.742-07:00Yes, maybe with an awesomely brilliant Allison Sch...Yes, maybe with an awesomely brilliant Allison Schlosser :)Stacey McKennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12423240974360887141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-13651774607507732682012-06-10T10:29:46.637-07:002012-06-10T10:29:46.637-07:00The only sympathetic meth-related character I'...The only sympathetic meth-related character I've seen has been Detective Holder on The Killing. His character is drawn much in the way that heroin users have been portrayed as you describe, and he's very real in that sense -- maybe the most real of any character in the show.<br /><br />I have also wondered about the "allure" of heroin use. Maybe it's because so many famous artists and other celebrities were so much in its thrall they died young? There's always a glamour about beautiful people "gone before their time" even though in essence they were committing a slow suicide with their heroin use. <br /><br />We might also have a socio-economic aspect of drug use here: Isn't heroin more expensive than meth? <br /><br />Personally, I find needles repulsive, unless of course they are attached to a tattoo gun. ;-) <br /><br />Great piece, Stacey!Sezinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01079428712043735436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-85396444025468149562012-06-10T01:01:44.646-07:002012-06-10T01:01:44.646-07:00Perhaps a collaborative paper in your future? <...Perhaps a collaborative paper in your future? <3Mama Melchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09756297260590217633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-4447036533112004572012-05-22T08:11:34.558-07:002012-05-22T08:11:34.558-07:00Thanks folks. Karen, yes, I'm definitely ok (t...Thanks folks. Karen, yes, I'm definitely ok (the break is really old and healed) though I'll be stiff and sore for a while yet!<br /><br />Hillary - the chiropractic encounter is different on so many levels, from the profession's perspectives to the fact that I have a several-year patient-provier relationship with this particular chiropractor, so he knows my "normal" and my life pretty well.Stacey McKennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12423240974360887141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-40261484969189192932012-05-21T23:02:00.087-07:002012-05-21T23:02:00.087-07:00Beautifully written with fairly minimal jargon. :-...Beautifully written with fairly minimal jargon. :-) Soo happy your back isn't broken and that the healing process won't be soo scary. I'm definitely interested in how you would describe the chiropractic encounter in comparison.Mama Melchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09756297260590217633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9161518386336876861.post-41525696761602282362012-05-21T20:43:13.512-07:002012-05-21T20:43:13.512-07:00Stacey...
so sorry to hear you had an accident, ...Stacey... <br /><br />so sorry to hear you had an accident, but glad that you're (almost definitely?) okay.<br /><br />The anthropological view of medical experiences is a really interesting one. It's like every hospital experience is two experiences happening at the same time: one very scientific and mental (diagnosis) and one very human and emotional (the needing to be taken care of). And the balance and how the two fit together is so important.karenerobinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03925379039641866587noreply@blogger.com